Hand drum


A hand drum is any type of drum that is typically played with the bare hand rather than a stick, mallet, hammer, or other type of beater.

Types

The following descriptions allude to traditional versions of the drums. Modern synthetic versions are available for most if not all of the drums listed through various manufacturers.

Middle and Near East

Africa

  • The most common African drum known to westerners is the djembe, a large, single-headed drum with a goblet shape.
  • The Ashiko is another African drum in the shape of a truncated cone. Similar to the Djembe it is rope strung. This drum is easily recognized as having straight sides. The ashiko contrary to popular belief is traditionally mounted with wild game heads such as a gazelle. Most modern Ashikos are made with goat skin as a matter of convenience or legality. A more traditional-sounding Ashiko can be created using hand-picked goat skins that imitate the game skin or using deer skin. Ashiko drums are quite popular but less so than other types of hand drums and the difficulty in making sound as it should traditionally probably explains why they are less common. Most Ashikos found in common use have a non-traditional sound to them due to different skin types being used.
  • Bougarabou are African drums with cow skin heads. The base of the um drum is shorter than a djembe and the goblet shape less pronounced.
  • The Dundun talking drum, is a class of hour glass shaped drum that is popular amongst the Yoruba people of West Africa. Dun-dun literarily translates to "Sweet-Sound". The class includes the largest in the ensemble Iya-Ilu and other smaller category like Ijin, Gangan, Adamo, and the smallest of the ensemble is called kanago. Depending on the parts of the Yoruba region, other types of Dundun drum in between may be available.
  • The Batá drum is often used for spiritual worship of Sango in Yoruba, Cuba and Brazil. It has drums in category of Iya Ilu and other smaller drums. Omele Bata is a triplet bunch of strapped drums in the Bata Drum Category.
  • The Gudu-gudu drum is a pace-maker drum that is used in both Dundun and Bata drum category.
  • The African drumming)|Bembe] drum is a Yoruba bass drum. The modern bass drum in drum sets used by professional musicians and military/school parades is an example of modified bemebe drum.
  • The Ipese drum is used for Yoruba Spiritual worship of Ifa.
  • The Igbin drum is used for Yoruba Spiritual worship of Obatala.
  • Another type of drum family called Dundun is from Guinea. This is different from the Yoruba talking drum. It has 3 types of drums, the Dundun Songba and Kenke.

Latin percussion

Far East and India

Europe

  • The Irish Bodhrán is sometimes played with the bare hand.

North America

  • a drum used in powwows is called a hand drum, but is typically used with a mallet.